Lament of the Lady of Qin

Lament of the Lady of Qin by Wei Zhuang, an outstanding poet and lyricist of the Tang Dynasty, is a lengthy poem consisting of 238 lines and 1,666 Chinese characters, earning it the title of "the longest poem of the Tang". Wei was trapped in Chang'an in 880, during the turmoil of the Huang Chao Rebellion (875-884). Three years later, he narrated the war-torn conditions he witnessed through the voice of the poem's protagonist, the "Lady of Qin", crafting a long narrative poem rich in realism. Spanning three years, the poem covers significant geographical areas including the capitals of Chang'an and Luoyang, and vividly depicts the historical upheaval and the suffering of the common people. A monumental piece of documentary poetry, it offers a detailed, vivid portrayal of the social landscape during the late Tang Dynasty compared to official historical records

Since it was written, Lament of the Lady of Qin had been widely circulated among the populace, with contemporaries even referring to Wei Zhuang as the "lyricist of Lament of the Lady of Qin". Historically, the poem faced a period of obscurity, wherein many knew its title but no verses. The Dunhuang cache included a total of 10 copies of Lament of the Lady of Qin, six of which contained inscriptions indicating previous ownership by students from monasteries, private academies, and ordinary people. Thanks to the discovery of the Library Cave, the modern world can appreciate the original form of Wei Zhuang's masterpiece--Lament of the Lady of Qin.

《秦婦吟》

《秦婦吟》全詩七言238句、1666字，被譽為“唐朝第一長詩”。作者韋莊在廣明元年（880）因黃巢起義被困長安，他在中和三年（883）將自己目睹的戰亂情形，借詩中主人公“秦婦”之口講述出來，寫成了極具現實主義色彩的長篇敘事詩。這首紀實長詩的時間跨度達三年之久，空間范圍涉及長安、洛陽兩京，所描繪的是歷史的滄桑巨變和百姓的苦難遭遇。作為紀實性的史詩巨作，該詩比正史更加形象細致地描繪了唐末的社會景象。

《秦婦吟》自誕生之時就在民間廣為流傳，當時的人甚至稱韋莊為“《秦婦吟》秀才”。歷史上這首詩曾一度失傳，世人只知其名不得其文。敦煌文獻發現的《秦婦吟》寫卷共計10件，其中6件帶有題記，分別記載它們曾經屬于寺學學子、私學學子以及普通百姓的情況。正是因為敦煌藏經洞的意外開啟，世人在今天才能一睹韋莊名作《秦婦吟》的真容。